


A Priceless Gift

by RuntotheForest



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Holidays, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:21:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28284630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuntotheForest/pseuds/RuntotheForest
Summary: Sometimes the best gifts come without wrapping paper or bows.
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller, Alec Hardy/Ellie Miller
Comments: 24
Kudos: 107





	A Priceless Gift

**Author's Note:**

> I did it! My first one-shot! I woke up this morning, not at all intending to write this, and now here it is.

They were, as usual, the last two in the office. She knocked on his office door jamb as she simultaneously attempted to wrestle her other arm into the orange coat. He was hunched over some paperwork, concentrating, staring at it through glasses and bleary eyes. When he heard her knock, his head jerked upward, and he took off his glasses to watch her squirming into her coat.

“Miller,” was all he said.

Zipping her coat, she took a few steps forward into his office.

“It’s December 23rd,” she announced.

“That’s what it says right here.” He picked up his desk calendar and pointed at the large, bold printing that announced that it was, indeed, December 23rd.

“Christmas is in two days.”

“Thanks for doing the maths on that. I’m not sure I could have figured it out.”

“Don’t be a smart-arse. I’m just saying.”

“I’m aware of the date, Miller.”

“Daisy coming for Christmas?”

Hardy looked back down at the paperwork on his desk, and made a show of shuffling papers.

“She’s spending this Christmas with her mum.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s only fair. Tess argued that I had the last year with her before she went off to uni. So she’ll be with Tess for Christmas, but she’s coming here for a bit after New Year’s.”

“Ah, well that’s good, then.”

“Yeah.”

Ellie fiddled with the zipper on her coat.

“So, what are you doing for Christmas, then?”

Hardy leaned back in his chair and reached to straighten his tie.

“Ah, you know.”

“Well, I don’t, which is why I’m asking.”

Hardy cleared his throat.

“I don’t do much unless Daisy’s around.”

Ellie found this both humorous and somewhat sad.

“You could come to mine and have Christmas dinner,” she said, tentatively.

Hardy lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t immediately respond.

“Nah,” he finally said. “That’s for your family.”

“Hardy, whether you realize it or not – “

“Ellie,” he said, interrupting her with the unfamiliarity of her first name, “you don’t want me there. I’m not good with…“ He waved dismissively. “… _that_ sort of thing.”

“Human interaction, you mean?”

He shot her a look.

“Family dos.”

She folded her arms and stared at him.

“You sure? You’ll be all alone on Christmas.”

“It’s just another day, except the stores are all closed.”

She sighed and threw up her arms.

“Fine. If you change your mind, the invitation is open.”

Of course he wouldn’t change his mind. It was Hardy, after all - the most stubborn, infuriating man she had ever known. He was also one of the _best_ men she had ever known, although he hid it behind his layers of prickliness. And he was also one of the people whose company she enjoyed the most, inexplicably, although she’d never admit it to him.

Over the time she had learned to trust and actually _like_ him, she had also realized that she was attracted to him. It snuck up on her when she wasn’t expecting it. She started to notice the rich brown of his hair and how it matched the color of his eyes. She would sometimes find herself lost in those eyes before she snapped back to reality. She had never been one for skinny men, but there was something about his length and leanness that was heady and intoxicating if she let herself think about it. When he was pointing to evidence on the wall, she found herself watching his fingers, imagining them touching her face, and maybe other parts of her…

She spent a lot of time pushing these ideas out of her mind. This was Alec _bloody_ Hardy she was thinking about, and thoughts like these weren’t - productive. Or professional. Maybe it had just been too long since she had been with a man that wasn’t a murderer or a godawful one-night stand.

But he’d rejected her Christmas invitation anyway, so there was no point thinking about it now.

\--------------------

As Christmas Day was winding down, Ellie impulsively decided to pack a dinner of Christmas turkey leftovers for Hardy and drive it up the hill to his house. She put Fred to bed, and told Tom where she was going.

“Why?” Tom asked, barely looking up from his new Playstation game.

“Because he’s all alone this year, now that Daisy’s gone. Nobody should be entirely alone on Christmas.”

“Why didn’t he just come over for dinner?”

“I asked him to, Tom. He’s not one for family gatherings.”

“Oh, okay. Tell him Happy Christmas.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“No reason. I’ll be sure to tell him.”

As she left Tom’s bedroom, her smile was perhaps wider than the circumstance might otherwise indicate.

She put together a container of food, including a healthy portion of the vegetables that the Miller family had left largely untouched, and headed up the hill.

He answered the door in a dark green jumper and jeans. Hardy in casual clothes never ceased to take her by surprise. She tried not to think of how he looked in those jeans.

“You’re home!” she said brightly, and unnecessarily.

“Where else would I be?”

“Dunno. Maybe you went for a drive. Or a walk. Or had a secret Christmas date.”

“Miller…”

“Never mind. I just thought I’d bring you some Christmas dinner, seeing as how you probably didn’t eat much except a salad for supper.”

“That’s kind of you, Miller. Thanks.”

“There’s turkey and roast potatoes, and a big heaping serving of brussels sprouts. I left the Yorkshire pudding home, as it was almost completely inedible.”

Hardy looked both amused and confused.

“You didn’t have to do this” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She ignored him.

“Tom said to be sure and tell you Happy Christmas.”

“He did?”

“I know, it’s somewhat shocking.”

“I thought he hated me.”

“No, he doesn’t, actually. I think it’s more like casual indifference, which is what I get on most days anyway. So you’re in good company.”

“Well, that’s nice, then.”

She handed him the container of food, then dug into her bag for the bottle of red wine she had brought.

“Brought you this too. I didn’t know if you had any, or needed any. Or wanted any, really, but, you know – just in case.”

“Oh. Thanks.” He shifted awkwardly. “Did you want to come in?”

“You don’t have to invite me in. I don’t want to invade your space, or disrupt your solitude.”

“Nah, m’ not doing much of anything at the moment. I can open the bottle, if you’d like some.”

“Only if you have some too.”

“Deal.”

She stepped inside and he kicked the door closed behind her, then disappeared to the kitchen.

“You just need to pop the dinner in the microwave. Needs a bit of warming,” she shouted from the front room, as she dropped down onto the couch.

He returned a few minutes later with two glasses of wine, which he set on the coffee table, then headed back to retrieve the plate of food. Upon his return, he sat on the other side of the couch – far enough that they couldn’t possibly touch accidentally.

He raised his glass tentatively and wordlessly. Ellie picked hers up and clinked it against his, and they both sipped silently.

“Oh!” she said, “I almost forgot!”

She pulled her bag open again, and buried her hand inside.

“Before I bring this out, I just want you to know that it’s from Fred, and you need to let me explain.”

He arched an eyebrow and cocked his head quizzically. Ellie pulled out a sprig of mistletoe, which Hardy frowned at dubiously. 

“Fred loves you madly,” she explained quickly. “And he wanted to give you a kiss for Christmas, so he asked me to give you this mistletoe. Since he couldn’t give you a kiss in person. It’s symbolic.”

She chuckled nervously.

“He’s seven, so it’s not weird. Love is love.”

Hardy’s eyes brightened, and the corners of his mouth turned slightly upward.

“We should all be so wise,” he said. “Well done, wee Fred.”

He started to eat his holiday meal, and Ellie thought she had never seen him attack any food with such gusto. She had also never seen him eat as much at one sitting. She chatted excitedly about the boys and their Christmas gifts while Hardy stuffed food into his mouth, washing it down with red wine.

“Christ, Hardy, I didn’t know you could eat like that,” she said, refilling his glass.

He _smiled_ at her – honest to God, it was a real, satisfied smile.

“That was good, Miller. Thanks. Best meal I’ve had in a long time.”

“Really? I’m a shit cook, and you know it.”

“You outdid yourself, then.”

“Come on, it can’t really be that good?”

He leaned back, putting his arms behind his head.

“You brought it to me specially. Went out of your way. On Christmas. It couldn’t have been better.”

“So all it takes to get you to eat is for me to bring you a home-cooked meal, no matter how awful it is?”

He leaned forward again, taking a sip of wine. His cheeks had actual color in them, and Ellie had to fight herself to keep from reaching out to touch his face.

“It wasn’t awful,” he was saying. “It was good. Very good, even.”

“You’re not the best judge,” she said, chuckling to herself, feeling pleasantly warm from the wine. “You usually eat rabbit food, so anything that doesn’t come from the bloody _soil_ is out of your area of expertise.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe? Come on, Hardy. I think you ate as much tonight as I’ve seen you eat in all the years I’ve known you, put together. What gives?”

She elbowed his ribcage playfully, and the motion forced him to spill a bit of wine on his jeans.

“Oh, Jesus, sorry!” she exclaimed.

She moved closer to help, but he waved her off, dabbing at the wine with a napkin.

“It’s nothing. They’re bloody jeans. It doesn’t matter.”

Then he laughed. He _laughed_. She saw his teeth and the crinkles around his eyes. And she couldn’t stop staring.

“You okay, Miller?”

He had caught her. She fumbled to save herself.

“I’m just wondering who this person is I’m sitting with this evening. _This_ Alec Hardy smiles, and laughs, and eats. Is there anything else this Alec does that I should know about?”

He looked at her so intensely right then that she could swear he saw everything she felt but couldn’t dare say. If he did see those things, he didn’t let on. Instead, he smiled again.

“I’m happy,” was all that he said.

“You’re happy?” she asked incredulously, suddenly feeling her heart begin to race. “Is this a parallel universe or something?”

They searched each other’s eyes for a moment.

“ _You’re_ here,” he answered, finally. “You brought me dinner. Tom sent me greetings. Wee Fred sent _this_.” He picked up the mistletoe and held it in the palm of his hand. “All of it feels, well… _nice_.”

Ellie smiled brightly, but didn’t trust herself to move.

“You’ve had too much wine,” she said. “You’re gettin’ soppy now.”

“I’ve had just enough wine,” he said firmly. He turned the mistletoe over in his hand, staring at it intently. He cleared his throat.

“D’you think wee Fred would mind if I used the mistletoe to kiss his mum?”

All she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears.

“Wh - what?” she stammered.

“Ellie. Please don’t make me ask again.”

She could feel the fear in his voice that maybe he’d crossed some invisible line. He still hadn’t looked at her, and his head was starting to lower in defeat. 

She snatched the mistletoe from his hand and held it over her head.

“Looks like you have an obligation to kiss me, seeing as how I'm under the mistletoe.”

His head snapped up in surprise. His gaze traveled from her face to the mistletoe and back again, then he slowly leaned toward her and brushed her lips with his. Ellie was surprised by the softness and warmth of his lips, and immediately moved toward him to reciprocate the kiss. Yes, _definitely_ soft and warm.

“Do I have to keep holding this?” she asked, looking upward at the mistletoe. He chuckled, then grabbed it from her, placing it reverently on the table in front of them. He turned back to her and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face.

“Is this okay?” he asked softly - although, judging from the expression on her face, he thought the answer was fairly obvious. She nodded and leaned back toward him for another more insistent kiss that left them both breathless.

“I want you to know,” she panted into his mouth, “my plan was _not_ to come over here and snog you on your couch.”

“Even if it was, I’m not complaining.”

He kissed her languidly, and her body began to tingle. She pulled away and touched his cheek.

“I’m serious,” she said.

“Me too.”

“I mean, I wanted to, but I never would have.”

He laughed softly.

“What’s funny?” she asked gently.

“That could be the title of my memoir: ‘I Wanted To, But I Never Would Have’.”

“You wanted to kiss me?”

“I did. But there are so many reasons why I didn’t, dating back several years now.”

“ _Years?”_ she breathed, incredulously.

He nodded silently.

“Was it worth the wait?” she teased.

He studied her face, leaving her question briefly unanswered.

“Christ, Hardy, it’s not a difficult question!”

“Sorry, I was trying to find the proper superlative.”

“Never mind,” she said, touching his cheek again. “Just kiss me again, then I really have to go home.”

He obliged, then she stood up to leave, grabbing the empty container.

“A brilliant Christmas,” he said earnestly, watching her.

“No regrets?”

“None. You?”

“Same.”

“Good.”

He stood and kissed her once more.

“Tell Tom Happy Christmas. And tell Fred that I will give him that kiss when I see him again, which I hope will be soon.”

“How about tomorrow? I can cook for you tomorrow night.”

He smiled indulgently.

“I can only handle so much of a good thing,” he said, eyes twinkling. “How about I cook for you instead?”

Her eyebrows raised.

“I knew it,” she said. “You’re so full of horseshit.”

She kissed him anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Happy Christmas, everyone!


End file.
